Cloud
Forest
Investigations
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Last Update: 1 May 2008 |
Announcements30 January 2008
18 September 2007
20 March 2007
7 February 2006CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS!Interested in volunteering? Some (of many) possible subjects that might be pursued individually, or in groups, include (in no special order) the following:
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Statement of PurposeThe purpose of the group "Cloud Forest Investigations" shall be to provide volunteer opportunities for students and faculty to work together in studying environmental, geographical, cultural, historical, and archaeological topics concerning the cloud forest environment of central Peru. CFI is conceptualized as a group of students and faculty of diverse educational backgrounds, skills, training, and resources, all of whom share an interest in learning more about the Andean cloud forest environment and the challenges of promoting sustainable development within it. Meetings of the group shall be scheduled on an intermittent basis to provide background information and guidance to participants, to discuss any new developments, and to provide a forum for participants to share periodically their progress in chosen topics of interest. Student efforts may be undertaken independently of any regular coursework, as an independent study project, or as a component of an existing course, as arranged between student and instructor. Whether or not participants ever leave the mid-Michigan area, this should be seen as an international undertaking in conjunction with the efforts of a devoted and resourceful group of scholars, administrators, and field personnel in the Peruvian NGO called APRODES (see below). Back to the Top -- ¡Hacia Arriba! |
Personnel
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SettingWithin the Central Andean Region of Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia, the high peaks and plateaus of the Andes are separated from tropical rainforests of the Upper Amazonian lowlands by transitional zones often referred to as the “eastern flanks,” also by such terms as Ceja de Montaña, Montaña, and Yungas. The eastern flanks consist of deep canyons, narrow gorges, with spectacular waterfalls spilling over towering cliff faces. Precipitously steep mountainsides are somehow carpeted by a dense but stunted mantle of so-called “cloud forest.” The cloud forest is distinguished by a profusion of deep mosses, thick lichen, diverse ferns and palms, myriad orchids, and hanging bromeliads. The air is cool, often misty to drizzly, and almost always very humid. Thick clouds cling to the mountains much of the time. The primary research area is located in central Peru, at approximately 11.0° S Latitude by 75.3° W Longitude, within the Department of Junín, Province of Chanchamayo, and District of San Ramón. The town of San Ramón lies within a small, nearly flat basin near the confluence of three major valleys, at about 800 m. elevation. Between one of these, the Tarma Valley, and a lesser valley known as Casca, a long ridge extends from the high Junín plateau (4100 m.) to the San Ramón basin. This ridge is an important topographic feature linking the high Andes and eastern lowlands. The lower end of this ridge and its Casca flank comprise the principal study area, which for convenience we may refer to as Pichita. A few maps and photographs of the area are available on a separate web page. A large tract of this land is in the care of a recently formed Peruvian non-government organization (NGO) known as the Asociación Peruana para la Promoción del Desarollo Sostenible (APRODES). Another important property is Mina Pichita, a privately owned zinc mine and ore concentrating facility that has been mostly dormant for nearly half a century. Several large tracts on the opposite flank of the ridge, spaced at varying elevations from the basin edge nearly to the ridgecrest, have been developed by a Swiss-Peruvian nursery (Vivero los Incas) into commercial production of ornamental tropical plants, flowers, and cuttings for export to Europe and the U.S. And, dozens of families are dispersed in agricultural clearings at upper elevations within two legally recognized communities, Pichita and La Lora. Back to the Top -- ¡Hacia Arriba! |
Archaeological ResearchThe first reported archaeological study in the vicinity of San Ramón was a brief visit and description of several sites by Donald Lathrap in 1962. In 1979-1980 I conducted an archaeological survey combined with selective test excavations in a transect area straddling the transitions from the eastern edge of the Andean highlands down to the San Ramón basin. During this time several dozens of archaeological sites were discovered at distinct elevations, some with clear cultural affinities to known groups in the Andean highlands and some with definite ties to populations deeper into the Upper Amazonian region. One site of particular interest was discovered on a summit we refer to as Cumbre Pichita, a modest peak at about 2250 m. near the lower end of the long ridge described above, and still fully within the cloud forest. An employee of the old mine first led me to this site in 1980, and it quickly became apparent that this had been a settlement of some importance in late prehistoric times. I have returned to visit this site a number of times since then, but the upheavals triggered by the Shining Path uprising some 15 years ago delayed the resumption of fieldwork there. Our most recent project was a two-season investigation (2003-2004) funded largely by the Heinz Foundation, with participation by students of both Central Michigan and the Universidad nacional Mayor de San Marcos in Lima. This project included a superficial study of numerous other sites near Pichita and at similar elevations in a few nearby valleys, along with detailed mapping of standing stone walls and wall foundations within about half of the Cumbre Pichita site, and the excavation of test pits into a number of these former buildings. It now appears very likely that Cumbre Pichita was one of a number of “outpost” settlements established by Andean groups at or near their eastern, lowest limit of expansion. This was a good location for such a site, as there is good documentary and archaeological evidence that the crest of the ridge was the chosen route of a long trail connecting Andean and lowland regions in Spanish Colonial and prehistoric times as well. Cumbre Pichita was the principal settlement of highlanders near the lower terminus of the old trail. Back to the Top -- ¡Hacia Arriba! |
Sustainable DevelopmentAPRODES purchased its first small tract of land several years ago near one edge of the San Ramón basin and established an office and other facilities as a base for various kinds of agricultural educational programs targeting an impoverished local community in the vicinity. About five years ago they bought the homestead of the uppermost clearing in the Pichita forest, not far from the Cumbre Pichita archaeological site. During the past year APRODES has expanded its holdings considerably and now controls a continuous tract of cloud forest extending between roughly between 2000-3000 m. elevation on the Casca side of the ridge. The farmhouse has been refurbished to provide lodging for small teams of investigators, and an adjacent dwelling houses a caretaker and his family. As part of its mission to protect the forest yet promote sustainable development within and around it, APRODES seeks to attract international teams of scientists who wish to investigate some aspect of the area’s ecology, natural history, and/or cultural history. The APRODES website includes separate versions in Spanish and, with some limitations, English. It discusses related projects in several areas of Peru. The one which is most relevant to CFI is identified as Pichita, and of secondary relevance is nearby Naranjal down in the valley. Both are near San Ramón, in Chanchamayo Province. See within the website the section "Self-Support and Technological Transfer." NOTE: As of 9/06, this site is currently not functioning. Back to the Top -- ¡Hacia Arriba! |